What do you mean? Thale!

  I mentally called out to Thale, but there was no response. He had fallen back asleep. If he was to be believed, it would be a long time before I could speak to him again. Though I felt relieved to no longer be under threat of losing my body, it was unfortunate that I could no longer ask him questions.

  What did he mean when he said that he had killed Princess Rosa? Had he killed her in his own timeline? Perhaps, his words had a much more sinister meaning.

  Aware that Tancred was still looking at me like I was an insane person, I began fishing through my recently-filled pockets. Inside, I mostly found jewelry, gems, and pastries. Had Thale robbed a bakery? Regarding the gems, they must have held a value of more than a thousand gold coins in total.

  I kept searching through my pockets, and eventually I found a ring that stood out from the others. It was a woman’s ring that bore the symbol of House Polaris, a clipped rose. When I flipped the ring over in my hand, I already knew what I would find. Inscribed on the inner band of the ring, two words were written: Rosa Polaris.

  The ring in my hand belonged to the crown princess of Etronia. Its presence in my pocket proved my worst fears. While I was asleep, Thale had broken into the Azure Palace and killed Princess Rosa. The heir apparent to the Kingdom of Etronia was dead. This was Thale’s idea of helping me.

  There was nothing to be done. My initial plan of supporting Rosa’s faction was no longer feasible and would need to be altered.

  I slipped the ring back into my pocket. Either I would have to get rid of it, or I could use it to frame some other mage for Rosa’s death.

  Turning back to Tancred, I said, “Hey, Tancred. Let’s get you back to your family. Where are we right now?”

  “Did you bump your head, m’lord?” Tancred said, trying to sound polite. “We just left the First Church of Etron.”

  “Right,” I said, clearing my throat. “You don’t have to call me lord, you know?”

  “But it would be rude for a commoner to not use a lord’s title,” Tancred said. He sounded genuine, but there was still fear in his eyes.

  “There’s something I have to tell you, Tancred,” I said, kneeling down to be at his eye level. Ow, that was a mistake. I didn’t know if I would be able to get back up without his help.

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  I cleared my throat. “You, Haydith, and Erasmus are all the biological children of King Theophrastus Polaris.”

  “What?” Tancred said, clearly not understanding. “No, that’s wrong. Mom said that we had the same great-great-grandparents as the King. She wouldn’t lie to me.”

  “Sometimes adults tell lies to protect their children,” I said quietly. “Anyway, I need you to remember what I’m about to tell you, are you ready?”

  “Sure, mister.”

  “You are the second son of King Theophrastus. One day, some people might say that they want you to be the next king. Do not listen to them. If you do what they say, you will have to fight Haydith and Erasmus, and some of you will get hurt.”

  “That sounds bad. I don’t want to fight Haydith and Erasmus,” Tancred said, but I could tell that my words weren’t really getting through.

  “I’m sorry, Tancred, but I don’t think I’m being clear enough. Remember this,” my expression darkened, and my tone became threatening as I said, “if you ever try to be king, you will die.”

  The implicit threat in my voice was so clear that even a child could pick it up. If he tried to press his claim to the throne, I would kill him. I knew that Tancred would have nightmares of that moment. I didn’t want to scare the kid, but that was the only way I could be sure he would remember when the time came. If the Mandelbrots ever came to him, he would remember that moment vividly.

  “Y-yes, s-sir,” Tancred said, pulling away from me. I saw the fear of death in his gaze, and I knew he would remember my unnatural red eyes for the rest of his life.

  “Come on,” I said with a smile and the most cheerful tone I could manage. “Let’s get back to the church.

  We returned to the First Church, and I saw that just about all of the refugees had left. As I filtered through the people remaining in the church, nearly a dozen of them asked to shake my hand. Before I made it through the antechamber, I had been bombarded with several iterations of, “You saved us, Lord Thale,” and, “Did you really kill the dragon?”

  I waved them off with a smile, and we soon reached the center of the church. Father Galen approached me as I collapsed into one of the few pews that still remained standing.

  Once Father Galen reached earshot, I said, “You and your congregants should be safe now, Father. It’s only a matter of time before the guards are able to wipe out the remaining monsters.”

  Father Galen bowed deeply to me, and he looked like he was about to start crying. “You’re a good man, Lord Thale.”

  I sighed and looked around at the people in the church. Almost all of them were watching me with broad smiles on their faces like I was some A-list celebrity. Wistfully, I said, “I’m a great man, Father, but I don’t think I’m a good man.”

  “If you’re not good, then who among us can truly claim to be good?” Father Galen asked with confusion on his face.

  “Who indeed?” I said quietly, and then I fell into a deep sleep.